Flotation device

ABSTRACT

A flotation device comprising an outer garment and an inflatable bladder comprising a neck region and at least one chest region, the inflatable bladder located adjacent an inner surface of the outer garment and wherein, in use, the inflatable bladder comprises one or more raised support chambers disposed around the neck region.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of safety devices for use inwater sports and activities. More particularly, this invention relatesto a flotation garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water sports and activities such as surfing, sailing and canoeing areextremely popular but participants run an inherent risk of drowningwhich comes with being in the water. Those who are not confidentswimmers are particularly at risk but even strong swimmers can findthemselves in danger due to rough ocean conditions, strong currents andthe possibility of becoming too tired to swim or even having beenrendered unconscious. While participating in water based activities itis therefore important to lower this risk as much as possible.

One means of decreasing the risk of drowning is to wear a safety devicesuch as a life jacket or an equivalent buoyancy aid. One problem withsuch devices is that they are relatively bulky making them impracticalfor certain activities such as surfing where a certain amount of freedomaround the torso is essential.

There is the further problem that many users do not want to drawattention to themselves by wearing such large garments. Certain wateractivity cultures seem to afford great importance to image and youngpeople in particular do not want to compromise their appearance bywearing bulky, functional buoyancy aids.

One possible solution to this problem was presented in PCT applicationWO 03/075692 which disclosed the use of a shirt having an inflatabledevice concealed within a compartment of the shirt. The inflatabledevice could be inflated when required allowing the garment to maintaina relatively normal appearance up until that time.

Whilst generally suitable for its intended purpose, when inflated, theinflatable device of WO 03/075692 can ride up around the users head andupper torso which can cause panic because the user's freedom of movementand vision are severely restricted. This problem can also be quitedangerous if the wearer cannot see in which direction they should beswimming or signaling to alert rescuers. Further, depending on howloosely the shirt is secured and how buoyant the inflatable device is,the wearers head, and particularly their mouth may still remain close tothe water level and so drowning is still a possibility. This isparticularly so if the wearer has been rendered unconscious by a trauma.

Although useful, there is scope to improve the safety profile of thedevice disclosed in WO 03/075692 and/or otherwise provide the consumerwith a useful and/or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadestform, the invention resides in a flotation device comprising:

-   -   (a) an outer garment; and    -   (b) an inflatable bladder comprising a neck region and at least        one chest region, the inflatable bladder located adjacent an        inner surface of the outer garment,

wherein, in use, the inflatable bladder comprises one or more raisedsupport chambers disposed around the neck region.

If required, the one or more raised support chambers may be permanentlyraised structures.

Suitably, the at least one chest region of the inflatable bladder isprovided with a bladder locating strap.

Preferably, the bladder locating strap extends between opposite lateralsurfaces of the at least one chest region of the inflatable bladder.

In use, the bladder locating strap extends around a torso of the wearerand, when tensioned, secures the at least one chest region of theinflatable bladder adjacent the torso

Preferably, said inflatable bladder comprises two chest regions.

Adjacent areas of the two chest regions may be prevented from separatinglaterally by means of a connector.

In one embodiment, the connector is a releasable connector.

If required, the flotation device may further comprise an inner lininglocated within the outer garment and attached thereto.

Suitably, the inflatable bladder is located between the inner lining andthe outer garment.

The outer garment may comprise one or more shoulder flaps to provideaccess to the inflatable bladder.

Preferably, the at least one chest region comprises a manual inflationtube and/or an inflation cylinder to inflate the inflatable bladder.

In another broad form the invention resides in a method of assisting aperson to remain buoyant when in a body of water, the method comprising:

-   -   a) placing a flotation device on the person's body before        entering the water, the flotation device comprising an outer        garment, an inflatable bladder having a neck region and at least        one chest region, the inflatable bladder located adjacent an        inner surface of the outer garment wherein, in use, the        inflatable bladder comprises one or more raised support chambers        disposed around the neck region;    -   b) entering the body of water; and    -   c) inflating the inflatable bladder,        to thereby assist the person to remain buoyant when in the body        of water.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise,the words “comprise”, “comprises” and “comprising” will be understood toimply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not theexclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put intopractical effect, preferred embodiments will now be described by way ofexample with reference to the accompanying figures wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a flotation device according to anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an inflatable bladder, being part of theflotation device shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the flotation device shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a flotation device 10 according to anembodiment of the invention. Flotation device 10 comprises outer garment20 and inflatable bladder 40.

The term “outer garment” as used herein typically refers to shirts suchas sun shirts, rash shirts, rash vests, wetsuit shirts and vests but mayalso apply to garments which do not end with a lower open portion aroundthe waist such as girls and ladies bathing suits, full length wetsuits,three quarter length garments and the like.

Outer garment 20 includes a torso 21, sleeves 22 and neck 23. One ormore pouches 24 are formed in the fabric of outer garment 20 adjacentneck 23 in which to accommodate a portion of inflatable bladder 40 whichwill be discussed hereinafter. One or more shoulder flaps 25 are presenton the exterior surface of outer garment 20, in the embodiment shown, toallow access to inflatable bladder 40 and may be held in the closedposition by Velcro, studs, a zipper or like fastening means.

Tensioning strap 26 is located substantially within the fabric of thelower extent of outer garment 20, apart from an exposed portion (notshown) by which to manually tension and loosen said tensioning strap 26,and so is indicated by dashed lines. Tensioning strap 26 can betightened by means of a Velcro fastener, sliding buckle or the likewhich causes the lower extent of outer garment 20 to sit against theusers lower torso and lessens the risk of it ballooning up around thearms of the user when in the water. Tensioning strap 26 may be replacedwith or accompanied by one or more rubber inserts in the lower extent ofouter garment 20 or a strong elastic strip, again to prevent it fromriding up around the upper torso of the user.

Bladder locating strap 27 is located in the vicinity of the lower chestregion of the wearer and, at the front of outer garment 20, is locatedwithin the fabric of outer garment 20. Bladder locating strap 27 isattached at each end to inflatable bladder 40. As will be seen in moredetail later, bladder locating strap 27 exits the material of outergarment 20 at one or both of the sides of said outer garment 20. One ormore fasteners 28 are present to enable bladder locating strap 27 to betensioned and preferably employ Velcro although other fastening meanswell known in the art, such as a sliding buckle or belt arrangement, maybe suitable. Importantly, when bladder locating strap 27 is tensioned itresults in inflatable bladder 40 being located to or held in place atits intended operational position adjacent the torso of the wearer.

Outer garment 20 also includes pockets 29 which are placed in the chestregion of the wearer and which may be used to house and/or disguiseunderlying components of inflatable bladder 40. Depending on which ofthose components of inflatable bladder 40 are present only one pocket 29may be provided on either side of the garment or both may be present, asshown in FIG. 1.

Outer garment 20 may be manufactured from a range of materials known tobe suitable for use in and out of water. UV resistant materials are tobe preferred and some non-limiting examples of suitable materialsinclude lycra, polyester, cotton, wool, polyurethane, rubber and rubbercomposites, polyamide/elastane blends and other synthetic materials.

It is foreseen that outer garment 20 may be manufactured in a shortsleeve, long sleeve or even sleeveless design. When manufactured in along sleeve style the end of the sleeves may be provided with integralgloves for additional warmth. Alternatively the gloves may be removableand can be held in place by Velcro or other attachment means. Similarly,a hood may be provided at the rear of neck 23 which again may beintegrally made or may be detachable. Likewise, short sleeve andsleeveless garments may be provided with detachable sleeves to allowsimple conversion for increased comfort on both warmer and cooler days.Further, neck 23 may be a simple T-garment rounded neck style as shownin FIG. 1 or may be collared or have a V-neck design.

In an alternative embodiment to that shown in FIG. 1, outer garment 20may not be of a pullover or classic T-garment design. For example, outergarment 20 may be designed to be entirely opened at the front or back,such as with a wetsuit jacket or all-in-one wetsuit garment. A full openback design would be of particular benefit to persons with disability.The opening may be fastened with a zip, studs, Velcro or other commonfastening means. A full length opening may, alternatively, be providedon the front or sides of the flotation device. The features describedherein may also be included within a standard jacket design that wouldnormally be worn primarily for warmth on, for example, a sailing trip.It is often difficult to wear such a jacket over traditional bulky lifejackets and even when possible it can be dangerous to do so as thewearer must first remove the jacket before inflation of the device canbe safely achieved. The present invention allows inflatable bladder 40to be incorporated into a relatively slim design of jacket which doesnot require removal upon bladder inflation.

It will be appreciated that a number of other design features can beincorporated into outer garment 20 so long as the necessary safetyfeatures are maintained. For example, the exterior surface of outergarment 20 may be furnished with a wide variety of designs to make itmore attractive and acceptable in terms of image to the various watersports cultures. Further, bright high visibility colours or evenfluorescent or reflective material may be used on all or a portion ofouter garment 20, such as on any logos or designs, to make it easier forrescuers to spot a user when in the water and in distress. Outer garment20 may also be provided with air vents to aid in keeping the wearer cooland improving airflow around their body. The vents may take the form ofslits or cut outs provided within outer garment 20 or inserts of nettingor other relatively porous material.

In one embodiment, outer garment 20 may be provided with a light,preferably an LED light, which can be activated manually orautomatically upon contact with water. The light may be constant or maybe a pulsing light to attract attention to the user in conditions of lowlight or otherwise poor visibility. The light may be battery powered ora small solar panel may even be present on the surface of outer garment20 to enable the light to be powered for longer periods of time.

Further safety devices may be included on outer garment 20 including anelectronic positioning emergency radio beacon (EPERB), satellitenavigation and other ‘locator’ type devices to make location of a userby emergency services easier and more expedient. These devices may beexposed on the surface of outer garment 20 or may be hidden within apocket or opening provided therein.

The lack of bulk in flotation device 10 and flexibility in terms of itsappearance will allow it to be accepted to a greater degree than moretraditional buoyancy aids and so lessen the inherent risk of watersports for those who would not otherwise use such devices.

FIG. 2 shows a plan view of an inflatable bladder 40, being part offlotation device 10 shown in FIG. 1. Inflatable bladder 40 comprises arelatively narrow neck region 41 which connects two expanded chestregions 42. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two separate raisedsupport chambers 43 are each shown curving around a portion of neckregion 41. Support chambers 43 may be made from the same material asinflatable bladder 40 and so may themselves be inflatable or they may bemade of a different material which is permanently raised, i.e. does notdeflate, such as hollow plastic or solid foam. In alternativeembodiments there may be a single support chamber 43 encircling asubstantial portion of neck region 23 or there may be more than twosupport chambers 43 dispersed around said neck region 43.

When a user is in distress, in the water, the provision of one or moresupport chambers 43 are extremely important in ensuring the users headremains above the level of the water. This is especially so if theperson is unconscious but even in a conscious state can allow them torelax and conserve energy to an extent that is not possible with priorart flotation garments.

One of the chest regions 42 of inflatable bladder 40 is provided withmanual inflation tube 44 which, in the embodiment shown, can also act asa whistle to draw attention and assistance to the user during theinflation process. To inflate inflatable bladder 40 the user will puttheir mouth over manual inflation tube 44 to such an extent that thewhistle air outlet is covered. In this way air cannot escape and is alldirected into inflatable bladder 40. When inflatable bladder 40 is fullyinflated and the user wishes to use the whistle they merely draw theirlips back so as to expose the whistle air outlet. Further blowing actionwill generate a noise through the whistle to attract rescuers. Manualinflation tube 44 is provided with a cap 45 to prevent water fromentering through the mouthpiece. Cap 45 is connected to manual inflationtube 44 by link 46 to prevent it from being lost, particularly onceremoved to initiate manual inflation.

The other chest region 42 of inflatable bladder 40, shown in FIG. 2, isprovided with an inflation cylinder 47 which contains a sufficientquantity of a fluid to fully inflate inflatable bladder 40. Theinflation fluid may be any suitable fluid known in the art such ascarbon dioxide, nitrogen or the like. Preferably the inflation fluid isa non-flammable fluid. Inflation cylinder 47 is actuated by tensioningcord 48 upon pulling handle 49. A push button, switch or similaractivation means are also considered appropriate. Inflation cylinder 47may be attached via a threaded receiver (not shown in the figures) suchthat, once it has been discharged, it can be unscrewed and discarded anda new inflation cylinder 47 put in its place. In this manner the entireinflatable bladder 40 does not need to be replaced after inflation byinflation cylinder 47 but rather a replacement inflatable cylinder 47can be purchased and located in place of the used one.

More than one threaded receiver may be present on a chest region 42 ofinflatable bladder 40 to enable the attachment of more than oneinflation cylinder 47. This can be useful if the user will not have easyaccess to a source of replacement inflation cylinders 47, such as whenon a long boat trip. It also provides an alternative inflation pointshould the other threaded receiver become blocked.

Although not shown in the figures, inflatable bladder 40 may be providedwith a further inflation valve. This valve may be provided instead of orin addition to manual inflation tube 44 and inflation cylinder 47. Thisvalve may be capable of being compressed to sit within the border ofinflatable bladder 40 much in the manner of a beach ball valve or bepermanently located internally in the manner of a soccer ball valve. Thevalve will receive a standard bicycle/sports ball pump and can beinflated with same. This embodiment will be particularly useful foryoung children and those who lack confidence in the water.

A flotation garment 10 of this kind allows them to disguise the factthey are wearing a water safety device and gives them full freedom ofmovement out of the water. When they are ready to enter the water,however, they will immediately want the security of the inflated bladderand so, rather than having to inflate inflatable bladder 40 orally bymanual inflation tube 44 or discharge an inflation cylinder 47, they ora guardian can quickly achieve inflation using the pump referred to.This additional inflation valve may be provided on chest regions 42 but,preferably, will be provided on neck region 41 such that it can beeasily accessed via shoulder flaps 25 of outer garment 20 by a parent orguardian. This makes it relatively difficult for a young child wearingsuch a flotation device 10 to tamper with the valve thereby ensuringthey do not unintentionally deflate inflatable bladder 40. A plug, suchas a styrene plug, may also be provided to plug the valve referred tothereby ensuring long term inflation of inflatable bladder 40.

Both manual inflation tube 44 and handle 49 are connected to inflatablebladder 40 in such a way that they pass through the body of outergarment 20 and sit within the confines of pockets 29 to allow easyaccess to both. It will be appreciated that either manual inflation tube44 or inflation cylinder 47 alone may be provided on inflatable bladder40 but, preferably, both are present.

As discussed previously, opposite lateral surfaces of chest regions 42of inflatable bladder 40 are connected to bladder locating strap 27.This may be achieved via strap fasteners 50 which connect withcomplimentary fittings on the ends of bladder locating strap 27 to bindthem together and which can, therefore, be considered to be part of orintegral with bladder locating strap 27. Strap fasteners 50 arereleasable to allow removal of inflatable bladder 40. Alternatively,bladder locating strap 27 may be joined directly to opposite lateralpositions on chest regions 42 instead of having strap fasteners 50 inthose positions. A connector, if required, to open bladder locatingstrap 27 may be provided at another position along its length.

When bladder locating strap 27 is tensioned the force will betransmitted to strap fasteners 50 and the two chest regions 42 ofinflatable bladder 40 will tend to be pulled in opposite directions. Toprevent the unwanted separation of chest regions 42 a bladder connector51 and associated bladder connector fastener 52 are placed on oppositeadjacent surfaces of chest regions 42 so as to limit their lateralmovement with respect to one another. Bladder connector fastener 52 isreleasable to allow the separation of chest regions 42 if this should benecessary for removal of inflatable bladder 40 from outer garment 20.

In one embodiment of the present invention wherein chest regions 42 donot need to be separable to remove inflatable bladder 40 from outergarment 20 then bladder connector 51 and bladder connector fastener 52may be replaced by webbing or fabric of some kind which permanentlyconnects the two chest regions and prevents their lateral movement withrespect to one another after tensioning of bladder locating strap 27.Alternatively, only one large chest region may be provided and soseparation of chest regions is not a concern.

Inflatable bladder 40 may be manufactured from a range of materialswhich are well known in the art. Some non-limiting examples includenylon, plastics, neoprene, canvas, polymeric blends and various UVresistant fabrics.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the flotation device shown in FIG. 1. In theembodiment shown, inflatable bladder 40 is fully inflated and so a pouch24, formed in outer garment 20, is seen to be filled by a raised supportchamber 43 of inflatable bladder 40 and sits adjacent the neck region ofthe user. In use, support chambers 43 provide support for the users headand maintain it above water even when unconscious. This is an importantadvance upon prior art devices and provides an improved safety profilewithout noticeably increasing the overall size or bulk of flotationdevice 10.

Bladder locating strap 27 is seen to emerge from the front interior ofouter garment 20 at first slit 30 and pass through one or more loops 31formed on the exterior of said outer garment 20. Bladder locating strap27 is external to outer garment 20 in this area to enable its easyadjustment via fastener 28 which may employ a buckle or Velcro fasteningmeans. Bladder locating strap 27 is seen to pass in to the back interiorof outer garment 20 via second slit 33. The external portion of bladderlocating strap 27 may be present on one or both sides of outer garment20.

Inflatable bladder 40 may be located between the interior surface ofouter garment 20 and an inner lining 32 which, in the embodiment shownin FIG. 3, runs from the rear of outer garment 20 around to the frontand substantially down to tensioning strap 26. Inner lining 32 providessofter skin contact than inflatable bladder 40 may provide and, ifrequired, may provide support for the lower extent of inflatable bladder40. In some embodiments inflatable bladder 40 may be substantiallyencapsulated by inner lining 32 but it will be appreciated that it isstill located between at least a portion of inner lining 32 and outergarment 20. Inner lining 32 may be manufactured from the same range ofmaterials already mentioned in relation to outer garment 20 and mayinclude a perforated or mesh-like material design.

As mentioned previously, in the embodiment shown, shoulder flaps 25provide access to this compartment formed between the interior surfaceof outer garment 20 and inner lining 32. To remove inflatable bladder40, through a shoulder flap 25, its chest regions will need to beseparable and the inflatable bladder will be pushed back towards therear of outer garment 20 until one of the chest regions can convenientlybe pulled through one of shoulder flaps 25. Clearly, this will be moreeasily achieved when inflatable bladder 40 is deflated. Optionally, thelower front extent of inner lining 32 can be made detachable from theinterior surface of outer garment 20 and the inflatable bladder 40 canbe removed via this opening, once again, assuming the chest regions 42are separable.

In an alternative embodiment, inner lining 32 completely encapsulatesinflatable bladder 40 and is attached to the interior surface of outergarment 20 by Velcro, studs, zip fastenings or the like. In this way theentire inner lining 32 and encapsulated inflatable bladder 40 can beremoved from flotation device 10 without the user having to remove outergarment 20. An opening will be provided within inner lining 32 to allowremoval of the inflatable bladder 40. In this embodiment shoulder flaps25 would not be required.

In yet another alternative embodiment, inner lining 32 may be absentaltogether. In this embodiment inflatable bladder 40 would be integralwith or attached to the inner surface of outer garment 20. Inner lining32 is generally provided for the comfort of the user but if the surfaceof inflatable bladder 40 which contacts the users body is made from arelatively soft material or is provided with such a layer then innerlining 32 may not be necessary. This simplifies the manufacture of theflotation device and uses less material in its construction.

Although all of the embodiments described herein have been discussed inrelation to a human user it will be appreciated that the invention maybe equally applicable, with some minor alterations in material design,to other mammals. Accordingly, in one embodiment of the presentinvention a flotation device 10 is provided for use on animals,particularly pets such as dogs.

The flotation device 10 would be shaped to slip over a dog's body andaccommodate four legs. The outer garment 20 may be provided with anopening in the top or bottom to allow it to be fitted to the dog. Such adesign of outer garment is already well known for dog body warmers andit can be modified to contain an inflatable bladder 40 which would beshaped to fit around a dog's body. The support chambers 43 may beprovided under the neck region of the animal and bladder locating strap27 would extend around their torso. In one embodiment two bladderlocating straps 27 are provided for use with a dog to further ensure aclose fit of inflatable bladder 40.

In use, a user will prepare for their water activity by slippingflotation device 10, which may be in the form of an inflatable rashshirt, over their head. Preferably, they will tighten both tensioningstrap 26 and bladder locating strap 27 to prevent both the lower extentof outer garment 20 and inflatable bladder 40 from riding up when in thewater. At this point they are ready to enter the water. If the personshould subsequently become distressed in the water they have the optionof inflating inflatable bladder 40 using the manual inflation tube 44 ifthey feel they are not in immediate danger. This will also result in anoise from the whistle component of manual inflation tube 44 which willhelp in attracting assistance. If the person feels they are in moreimmediate danger they can simply reach into a pocket 29 and pull onhandle 49 to actuate inflation cylinder 47 which will result in almostinstantaneous inflation of inflatable bladder 40.

The user will then be kept buoyant in the water by flotation device 10and can adjust bladder locating strap 27, if necessary, to ensure thatinflatable bladder 40 remains in an appropriate location relative to theuser's torso, which may be referred to as the operational position, anddoes not slide up around the user's head. This is a substantialimprovement over prior art devices which have a bladder contained onlywithin a compartment in the outer garment. Once the bladder is inflatedin such prior art devices it exerts a strong upwards force on thegarment and will result in the device sitting up around the user's neckand head which makes it difficult for them to swim or indeed see whichdirection they should be swimming in or looking to for help. The use ofa bladder locating strap 27 in the present invention allows the user toremain buoyant but much more in control of the situation and less likelyto panic due to improved freedom of movement and visibility.

If the user is in the water for a long time and tires or is evenunconscious then they will not be at risk of drowning as supportchambers 43 are adapted to provide support to the head and/or neck andmaintain the user's mouth above the water line. Once again, thisrepresents an improvement over the prior art and will be particularlyimportant in sports such as surfing, sailing and windsailing where thereis a relatively high chance of sustaining a blow to the user's head dueto contact with the board or boat.

As indicated above, the present invention provides a number ofadvantages over prior art flotation devices. Firstly, the buoyancy aidis itself incorporated into and substantially disguised by outer garment20 which may have a fashionable appearance meaning it is more likely tobe embraced by a wider range of the population. Secondly theincorporation of the buoyancy device in a deflated state within theconfines of an over garment means the device 10 is considerably reducedin bulk compared to many buoyancy aids. Once again this makes it morelikely to be worn by the general public, particularly those who requiregood freedom of movement while participating in their water sport.

Most importantly, however, are the provision of support chambers 43 andbladder locating strap 27 which make the present flotation device 10considerably more convenient, comfortable and, most importantly, saferfor the user when they are in distress in the water and have inflatedinflatable bladder 40.

Prior art flotation garments have inflation bladders which must belimited in their size, to an extent, by the size of the garment itselfand the need to disguise the bladder and make the garment as ‘normal’looking as possible. This is not taken into account when consideringwhether or not the neck region of the inflatable bladder is thenadequate, when inflated, to support a user's head, particularly whenunconscious, and maintain their mouth and nose above water level. Thisis a serious oversight as the consequences can clearly be fatal. Thepresent invention recognises this need which has not been discussed oradequately addressed in the prior art and presents a surprisinglyeffective and simple solution in the provision of one or more supportchambers 43. Support chambers 43 are not bulky and do not negativelyimpact upon the aesthetics of the flotation device but, when inflated,become sufficient to provide support to a user's head such that theirrisk of drowning is greatly reduced.

The other major defect of prior art flotation garments is the ability ofthe inflatable bladders described therein to move freely in relation tothe user's body. If an inflatable bladder is merely placed within acompartment of the garment and thereby sits around the user's neck thenwhen fully inflated the lower chest regions of the inflatable bladderwill try to rise up to the surface of the water. The only means toprevent this provided by the prior art is, typically, the provision of atie cord or like means around the hem of the lower extent of thegarment. This may be adequate to maintain the lower extent of thegarment itself in place when the user is in the water and the bladder isnot inflated but is insufficient when the garment is also being forcedupwards by the buoyancy of the inflated bladder.

The result is that the garment will be forced up around the user's uppertorso and so the inflatable bladder is free to rest along most of itslength on the surface of the water. This means it is offering the userinadequate buoyancy to maintain them above the water's surface. It alsomeans the user's head is more likely to slip down into the neck hole ofthe garment since their body weight is dragging them downwards betweenthe neck region and chest regions of the inflatable bladder. The risk ofdrowning is thereby increased. The positioning of the inflatable bladderat the water's surface also makes it very difficult for the user to swimor to see where assistance may be located.

Once again this problem is not discussed or resolved in any way in theprior art. The present invention provides a bladder locating strap 27and corresponding attachment points on the outer extents of chestregions 42 to enable the user to securely locate inflatable bladder 40in the operational position, being substantially adjacent the user'supper and lower torso. Bladder connector 51 and bladder connectorfastener 52 or like connecting means located between chest regions 42prevents lateral movement of said chest regions 42 upon tensioning ofbladder locating strap 27. This holds inflatable bladder in place on theuser's body directly rather than relying on outer garment 20 and/orinner lining 32 to achieve this. This prevents or at least greatlyreduces the likelihood of inflatable bladder 40 riding up around theuser's upper torso and head. The result is greater buoyancy transmitteddirectly to the wearer, their freedom of movement and vision are notlimited and the likelihood of drowning is greatly reduced.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the preferredembodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any oneembodiment or specific collection of features. It will therefore beappreciated by those of skill in the art that, in light of the instantdisclosure, various modifications and changes can be made in theparticular embodiments exemplified without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

1. A flotation device comprising: a) an outer garment; and b) aninflatable bladder comprising a neck region and at least one chestregion, the inflatable bladder located adjacent an inner surface of theouter garment wherein, in use, the inflatable bladder comprises one ormore raised support chambers disposed around the neck region.
 2. Theflotation device of claim 1 wherein the one or more raised supportchambers are permanently raised structures.
 3. The flotation device ofclaim 2 wherein the one or more raised support chambers are constructedfrom hollow plastic or solid foam.
 4. The flotation device of claim 1wherein the at least one chest region of the inflatable bladder isprovided with a bladder locating strap.
 5. The flotation device of claim4 wherein the bladder locating strap extends between opposite lateralsurfaces of the at least one chest region of the inflatable bladder. 6.The flotation device of claim 5 wherein, in use, the bladder locatingstrap extends around a torso of the wearer and, when tensioned, securesthe at least one chest region of the inflatable bladder adjacent thewearer's torso.
 7. The flotation device of claim 1 wherein theinflatable bladder comprises two chest regions.
 8. The flotation deviceof claim 7 wherein the two chest regions are prevented from separatinglaterally by means of a connector.
 9. The flotation device of claim 8wherein the connector is a releasable connector.
 10. The flotationdevice of claim 1 further comprising an inner lining located within theouter garment and attached thereto.
 11. The flotation device of claim 10wherein the inflatable bladder is located between the inner lining andthe outer garment.
 12. The flotation device of claim 11 wherein theouter garment comprises one or more shoulder flaps to provide access tothe inflatable bladder.
 13. The flotation device of claim 11 wherein theinner lining can be opened at a lower extent to access the inflatablebladder.
 14. The flotation device of claim 10 wherein the inflatablebladder is encapsulated within the inner lining.
 15. The flotationdevice of claim 14 wherein the inner lining is removable.
 16. Theflotation device of claim 1 further comprising a tensioning straplocated at a lower extent of the outer garment.
 17. The flotation deviceof claim 1 wherein the at least one chest region comprises a manualinflation tube and/or an inflation cylinder to inflate the inflatablebladder.
 18. The flotation device of claim 1 wherein the neck regioncomprises an inflation valve.
 19. A method of assisting a person toremain buoyant when in a body of water, the method comprising: a)placing a flotation device on the person's body before entering thewater, the flotation device comprising an outer garment, an inflatablebladder having a neck region and at least one chest region, theinflatable bladder located adjacent an inner surface of the outergarment wherein, in use, the inflatable bladder comprises one or moreraised support chambers disposed around the neck region; b) entering thebody of water; and c) inflating the inflatable bladder, to therebyassist the person to remain buoyant when in the body of water.
 20. Themethod of claim 19 further comprising the step of tensioning a bladderlocating strap to secure the at least one chest region of the inflatablebladder adjacent a torso of the person's body.